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Message: [QUOTE="Bone Dog, post: 5010314, member: 12088"] Just musing here -- is a running game (I mean a full court pressing game like tOSU two seasons ago) a viable path to an NC, or even an FF? Has such a team ever won it all? I haven't done the research here so feel free to correct me (like you need my permission :p ), but I think the answer is no. It looks like a single really strong PG, like Amoore for example, can dispose of a pressing team pretty readily. Sue or Diana or Paige and maybe Kaitlyn, would suffice, I think. I only mention this because the minutes debate seems to imply the virtue of a running game as a corollary. The more they run and the more energy they expend, the more fresh bodies they need seems to be the reasoning. I love watching quick teams play a press. But Geno hasn't designed teams like that. He uses a press here and there, and typically only a 3/4 court press, and he doesn't do this for entire games. A 3/4 press or even only a 1/2 court press can catch an opponent off guard, maybe throw them out of their game plan, sort of like a punch in the face. It's like Mike Tyson famously quipped, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face." The beginning of the 3rd quarter is one of those moments when a sudden sharp defensive stand can shock an opponent. Check out the Tennessee game 3 seasons ago when Nika almost single-handedly turned the game into a rout in the first 5 minutes of the 3rd quarter. Or the Indiana game 2 seasons ago when Paige and company blew them away in the third quarter. A full-court press is wonderful, but Geno's focus seems more to be on transition offense. This can come from any "live ball" turnover, whether it results from a press, a steal, even a long rebound, etc. -- and as long as someone is ready to streak down the floor Paige will find them, if she isn't herself leading the transition. A transition game isn't a press, but it can use one occasionally. One key to it seems to be not allowing post entry passes, since it's more difficult to start the transition from there. Force the opponent to shoot from outside, make sure you get the rebound or the steal, and get a quick outlet pass. And then the track meet begins. I think this is what Geno sometimes means when he says defense leads to offense. By the way, we may not think of Ice and Caroline as transition players, but they are both very good at getting quick outlet passes going. [/QUOTE]

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